{"id":194752,"date":"2025-10-12T11:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T11:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/194752\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T11:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T11:02:09","slug":"japanese-knotweed-myths-debunked-by-invasive-plant-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/194752\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese knotweed myths debunked by invasive plant experts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n  With 688 verified sightings in Dorset, including in Dorchester, Bridport and Weymouth, the plant is a substantial problem.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  According to a YouGov survey, 77 per cent of UK adults are aware of knotweed, but misinformation still causes unnecessary concern for homeowners and buyers.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Environet, a firm of invasive plant specialists, has clarified ten widespread misconceptions.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  It is a myth that household chemicals like bleach, petrol or diesel can kill knotweed.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  These treatments will rarely be strong enough to destroy the plant&#8217;s underground root system.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Another common misconception is that covering knotweed to block sunlight will kill it.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  The rhizome will usually grow laterally in search of sunlight.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  While knotweed cannot push directly through concrete, it can exploit cracks or weaknesses in the material.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dorsetecho.co.uk\/news\/25504563.talks-walks-workshops-secret-fungi-festival\/?ref=ial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Talks, walks and workshops at Secret Fungi Festival<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Many believe it is illegal to have knotweed on their property, but this is not the case.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  However, allowing it to spread to a neighbour&#8217;s property could lead to legal action.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Most <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisismoneyback.co.uk\/money.php?ref=au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">mortgage<\/a> lenders are now willing to provide mortgages on affected properties, as long as a professional management plan is in place, accompanied by an insurance-backed guarantee.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Even if the knotweed has been treated, it must still be declared on the Law Society\u2019s TA6 form when selling a property.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Herbicide treatment can typically be carried out between May and September, but knotweed can be excavated from the ground at any time of the year.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  A neighbour cannot be legally forced to remove knotweed from their property unless it spreads across the boundary.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Knotweed should not be put on the compost heap, as it can regrow from a small piece of rhizome.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Finally, knotweed does not spread by seed in the UK, as all the plants are female and no viable seeds are produced.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  Environet director Emily Grant said: &#8220;There are plenty of unhelpful myths about Japanese knotweed that only add to homeowners\u2019 anxiety.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  &#8220;It is the most problematic plant in the country, but it can be managed and, with the right treatment plan in place, eradicated for good.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n  &#8220;As we head through autumn, knotweed will start to die back and become harder to spot, but this can be the ideal time to tackle it.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With 688 verified sightings in Dorset, including in Dorchester, Bridport and Weymouth, the plant is a substantial problem.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194753,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,90,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-194752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}